Issue - meetings

Granted planning permission subject to the referral of the application to the Mayor of London (stage 2 referral) and the prior completion of a legal agreement to secure the planning obligations as detailed in the Committee report; and the conditions and informatives as set out in the Committee report and supplementary report.

PROPOSAL

Demolition of existing buildings and construction of two new buildings to provide commercial floorspace (Use Class: E) and student accommodation bedspaces (Use Class: Sui Generis), associated access and highways works, amenity space, cycle parking spaces, disabled car parking spaces and refuse/recycling stores.

RECOMMENDATION:

That the Committee resolve to GRANT planning permission subject to:

(1)      The referral of the application to the Mayor of London (stage 2 referral) and the prior completion of a legal agreement to secure the planning obligations as detailed in the Committee report and that the Head of Planning is delegated authority to negotiate the legal agreement.

(2)      That the Head of Planning is delegated authority to issue the planning permission and impose conditions and informatives as detailed in the report.

(3)      That the Head of Planning is delegated authority to make changes to the wording of the committee’s decision (such as to delete, vary or add conditions, informatives, planning obligations or reasons for the decision) prior to the decision being actioned, provided that the Head of Planning is satisfied that any such changes could not reasonably be regarded as deviating from the overall principle of the decision reached by the committee nor that such change(s) could reasonably have led to a different decision having been reached by the committee.

(4)      That, if by the “expiry date” of this application (subject to any amendments/extensions to the expiry date agreed by both parties) the legal agreement has not been completed, the Head of Planning is delegated authority to refuse planning permission.

(5)      That the Committee confirms that adequate provision has been made, by the imposition of conditions, for the preservation or planting of trees as required by Section 197 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990

Nicola Blake, Principal Planning Officer, North Area Planning Team, introduced the report and set out the key issues. In introducing the report members were advised that the application sought to construct two new blocks of purpose-built student accommodation. The Southern site would contain a building with a maximum of 27 storeys in heights, dropping to 18 and 6 storeys in parts and a basement to deliver 419 students accommodation units. The northern site would contain a building that extended to 21 storeys in height, providing 200 student accommodation units. The site was located within the Wembley Growth Area within Brent’s Local Plan.

The Committee’s attention was drawn to the supplementary agenda that provided information in relation to the applicant’s submission of a revised drawing pack detailing amendments to the cycle parking, additional objections received, minor alterations to the Committee report and the correction of an error made in relation to the financial contribution to Transport for London (TfL).

The Chair thanked Nicola Blake for introducing the report, as there were no Committee questions raised at this point, the Chair invited the first speaker Alvaro Santos Alonso (objector) to address the Committee (online) in relation to the application. Mr Santos introduced himself to the Committee as a local resident who would  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5